Whoa

The movie has a nice balance of romance and adventure and features a few nifty visuals.

No

The special effects, though adequate, don't wow. The film's pacing is a little off and the storyline doesn’t offer much of a twist.

Bottom Line

There’s nothing terribly wrong with Jack the Giant Slayer, director Bryan Singer’s (X-Men) film based on the popular children’s fairytale. Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) stars as the likable title character whose life is forever changed after he is given some magic beans. The movie has a nice balance of romance and adventure and features a […]

There’s nothing terribly wrong with Jack the Giant Slayer, director Bryan Singer’s (X-Men) film based on the popular children’s fairytale. Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) stars as the likable title character whose life is forever changed after he is given some magic beans. The movie has a nice balance of romance and adventure and features a few nifty visuals (that look better in 3-D). Pleasant enough, in the end it just doesn’t feel like a franchise, despite the fact that the filmmakers clearly leave the door wide open for a sequel.

Jack’s journey begins when his uncle sends him to the village to try to sell their horse. They’re on the brink of starvation and need the money for food. Ever the dreamer and romantic, however, Jack gets sidetracked when he tries to defend a woman’s honor against a group of drunken ruffians. He quickly learns that she isn’t just any fair lady; she’s Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), the princess who stands to one day become queen. After the princess is quickly whisked away by a handful of knights an anxious monk hands Jack a bag of beans to deliver to the monastery in exchange for payment. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before the seeds get wet and, well, you know what happens. Jack finds himself climbing toward the heavens with Elmont (Ewan McGregor), an elite knight who’s sent to find the Isabelle, who was caught in the beanstalk when it sprouted. Jack and Elmont wind up in a land of brutish giants and have to rely on their wits.

The film does work on several levels. Jack and Isabelle forge a connection despite their different backgrounds, and Hoult and Tomlinson both give solid performances as the love-struck youths. McGregor is also good as the fearless Elmont, and Stanley Tucci does a decent job as the fiendish Roderick, the king’s right hand man who turns out to be a turncoat. The big budget special effects, though adequate, won’t wow you, the pacing is a little off and the storyline doesn’t offer much of a twist.

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